Psychic Screams
by Annime Adiect
Summary: SEQUEL TO ASHES AND FIRE! Ash is having weird dreams about a screaming girl...that he somewhat remembers. When Blake comes back with some news about the mystery girl, will Ash be able to help her? Or will everyone be doomed?
1. Sleepless Nights

Annime: I hope you all enjoy the SEQUEL TO ASHES AND FIRE!

Ash: She JUST finished that story too…

Brock: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else!

_**Psychic Screams**_

Ash sat near the fire of the group's small camp just watching the flames dance in front of him. Iris and Cilan were sleeping peacefully in their sleeping bags as the night sky hung over them. Ash hadn't been able to sleep for the last few nights because of the nightmares that haunted him. All he could hear in these dreams was a girl screaming like she was being killed, and that's all he needed to freak out. He felt as though he had met the girl before…but he couldn't see what she looked like.

"Are you still up?" Iris asked. "Man you are SUCH a kid!"

Ash glared at the purple haired girl. "I'd like to see what YOU would do if a girl was screaming like that in YOUR dreams."

Iris shrugged. "Well, all I really know is that you're going to have to suck it up and go to sleep at some point."

Ash turned his head and glared at the fire. The fire grew slightly bigger out of his anger, but Iris didn't notice.

"See ya tomorrow," she told him as she went back to sleep.

Ash continued to stare at the fire as the memory of the scream echoed in his mind.

He KNEW something was going to happen.

Annime: I hope you like it!

Ash: Please review!


	2. Crazy Mornings

Annime: Hello world!

Ash: -_-

Iris: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else!

_**Chapter 1**_

"Come on, Ash," Iris nagged at the brown eyed boy who was packing his stuff. "We are going to the next city."

"I know that," Ash replied, throwing his stuff in a bag. "Just wait a sec. I'm almost done."

Iris sighed. "You are such a kid-," she tried to complain, but the boy interrupted her.

"Don't even TRY saying it," he snapped. "All I'm doing is packing my stuff. How is that REMOTELY related to me being a kid? Oh, and have YOU looked in a mirror lately! News flash: YOU ARE A KID TOO!"

Iris's eyes went wide and she blinked. "Well then; maybe you REALLY need your sleep."

"Maybe you REALLY need to stop talking!" Ash countered. Cilan stood between them and gave them both confused looks.

"OR," Cilan argued. "Maybe you both need to stop talking to each other for a little while." Iris nodded while Ash turned sharply to his left.

"Let's just go," the brown eyed boy muttered as he stalked away. Cilan and Iris exchanged glances. "Come on, aren't you coming?" Ash called to them, sounding a little calmer than before.

"Let's just go," Cilan said to Iris. The girl nodded and picked up her stuff. The two left from where they stood to follow Ash and Pikachu (who was standing on his shoulder).

Silence filled the air as they strolled down the trail. But with the silence, everything was tense. Ash was in the lead, leaving the other two behind him.

"It looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Cilan whispered to Iris. The girl huffed.

"Cilan, he didn't wake up at all."

"What do you mean?"

"For the past few nights he hasn't been sleeping at ALL. He might have closed his eyes for maybe ten minutes, but he didn't REALLY sleep, ya know?"

"I think I get it. But what's been causing this insomnia of his?"

"DON'T YOU REMEMBER? He's been having those weird nightmares since last Friday, and it is Wednesday today."

"That does sound like a problem," Cilan analyzed.

"I guess so," Ash said from the front. The two in the back looked towards the brown eyed boy who had stopped. He was turned to them with his arms crossed.

"You heard us?" Cilan asked nervously.

"Well, yeah; I mean, I wasn't that far away from you guys."

Iris huffed. "Well, if it's a problem then why don't you try to fix it?"

"Because I'm fine," Ashe answered. He then turned around and went back to walking towards the town. The two in the back looked at each other, shrugged, and followed behind.

About an hour later they were walking into the newest town. It was small and didn't have a Pokémon Gym.

"Hey, Cilan," Ash spoke turning to the taller boy. "You have the map; where is the Poké-Center?"

Cilan shrugged. "I have a map for Unova, but not for individual towns."

"Oh yeah… I forgot."

Iris pointed down the road. "I think it might be down there somewhere. This is, after all, the main road."

"Makes sense to me," Ash agreed. "Let's go!" He spoke the last part with more enthusiasm, and this made his two friends quietly sigh with relief.

Ash put his hands behind his head as he stepped into the Poké-Center. It was quiet and calm inside …until a brunette came running into the room from the back.

"ASH!" he yelled. "LONG TIME NO SEE!" The boy then tackled the brown eyed boy. Pikachu jumped off in time, luckily.

"Oww!" cried Ash as he was smashed onto the ground. "GET OFF OF ME!" The brunette jumped off of him like he had ordered and covered his ears.

"Man, you are STILL as loud as ever!" the gray eyed boy pointed out.

"Blake, what are you doing here?" Ash asked, completely ignoring the topic until a later date and/or time.

Blake stood up straight and wiped the imaginary dirt off of his outfit. Then he said in a serious manner, "I came with VERY important information."

"Blake," Ash warned. "DON'T try to act serious. It REALLY doesn't work for you."

"AWW; I thought I could really pull it off!"

"Sorry, but no applauds for you."

Blake pouted and took the younger's hand. "Just come with me, you butt-munch."

"Hey!" Ash yelped. "That's not nice!"

"Well, your face is not nice, so DEAL WITH IT!"

"How does that statement make ANY bit of sense in ANY situation?"

Iris cleared her throat, making the two boys look over at her.

"Aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" she questioned.

Ash glared at Blake, making the gray eyed boy stop. "Blake," the younger said slowly. "This is Iris and Cilan." He turned to the two whose names he just said. "Guys, this is Blake."

"Which ones which?" asked Blake, jokingly. Ash hit him in the shoulder.

"Oh, will you shut up?"

"I will once you come with me. Sorry Cilan and Iris, I have to barrow him really fast."

"Stop dragging me!"

"I WILL NEVER STOP!" Blake then ran, still holding Ash's hand, and made the Pokémon trainer stumble.

"BLAKE!" yelled Ash as they turned the corner into the other room.

"I wonder what so important," Iris mumbled. Cilan shrugged as he walked over to the coaches.

"Ok, Blake," the brown eyed boy said. "What's this so called 'important news'?"

"You remember that girl, right?"

"…Which girl? I know a lot of girls."

Blake sighed. "The mystery girl, you idiot; that's the girl I'm talking about!"

Ash blinked. "Do you mean that blonde that helped us with Team Rocket?"

Blake nodded eagerly. "Yes, I know some really important stuff about her now!"

"Tell me already!"

"She has powers."

Ash crossed his arms. "No dip Sherlock FICKING HOLMES!"

Blake smirked. "And she's a blonde!"

Ash growled. "I am VERY tempted to hit you in the face WITH MY FIST!"

Blake winced. "And…they kinda want to use her to take over the world."

Annime: Well, don't you guys love the relationship between Blake and Ash?

Cilan: Please review!


	3. Irritating Irises

Annime: Hello!

Ash: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else!

_**Chapter 2**_

Ash sighed as he rubbed his temples.

"Again?" the boy complained. "Why does everyone seem so obsessed with taking over the world?"

"Beats me," Blake admitted. "I guess it has to do with power? But, you have to agree that it makes more sense than when evil people say they want to destroy the world."

Ash nodded before asking, "Did you tell the others yet?" Blake moved only his eyes as he looked around the room nervously.

"Yes," he mumbled. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"And what did they say?"

"They…they are a little…what do you call it: busy?"

"You mean…they can't come?" Ash said with his eyes wide. Blake nodded, and he bit his lip.

"Yeah," the brunette answered. "Chris is at war beside his team, Selena and her team has a new threat on their hands, Nic is fighting that annoying scientist again, and Leon and his team have their hands full as well."

"So," Ash spoke, taking this all in, "I'm the only one who actually able to do anything?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah…so you might want to send your Pokémon to Professor Oak and then follow me to my ship."

"But I CAN'T," Ash argued. "Isn't there someone else who can do it? And tell me, if I DID go, how would I send Pikachu? There is no way he will go into a Pokémon ball!"

"Have your friends watch him until you get back," Blake replied as he gestured in the direction Ash's friends where in. "Come on, Ash, you REALLY ARE the ONLY person who can help me with this mission. We need to help that girl escape!"

Ash let out a sigh and thought for a moment.

"How am I supposed to explain to them what's going on?"

"I don't know?" Blake said, holding up his hands. "Maybe you should just be straight forward?"

Ash gave Blake the fiftieth skeptical look that day. "Ok, so I should just tell them, 'Hey, I have powers and I have to go help someone else who also powers because they were kidnapped.'"

Blake thought for a moment. "Say that, but leave out the part about you having powers. It's a little bit TOO supermanish if you ask me."

Ash groaned and Blake laughed. "Blake, get serious here!"

"I am being serious!"

As the two argued with each other, two other people listened in to their conversation. These people were named Iris and Cilan. Iris and Cilan WERE waiting for Ash, but impatience and curiosity drove Iris over to hear what was going on. Cilan-being the mature one he is- went to go stop Iris, but the girl somehow talked him into staying and listening.

Iris looked at Cilan with wide eyes will the tall male did the same to her.

"Ash has WHAT?" Iris whispered in disbelief. Cilan blinked.

"That's just…wow," Cilan said quietly back.

"So," Ash spoke with annoyance. "You want me to go tell them NOW, or is there some weird time twist in which I have to wait until later?"

"No, now's good," Blake said as he put his hands behind his head. Ash glared at him and Blake froze. "What?"

"You're not taking this very seriously."

"Ash, when do I ever take ANYTHING seriously?" Ash was silent as he continued to glare at Blake. "Well then, I rest my case."

Ash stalked out of the room and looked over at where Iris and Cilan were SUPPOSED to be waiting.

"Where did they go?" Ash mumbled as he spun around. He then saw his two friends waving and smiling nervously as they kneelt by the door way. Blake walked to the doorway and looked from Iris to Cilan and then to Ash.

"Well, it looks like you don't even have to explain anything," Blake stated as he pointed to the ease-droppers. "THEY HEARD EVERYTHING!"

Ash face palmed and shook his head. "When will I EVER get a break?"

"Now…maybe you will?" Blake guessed as he smiled and put his hands behind his back. As he did this, he rocked back and forth from the balls of his feet to his heels.

"Are you REALLY going, Ash?" Cilan asked as he stood up and brushed his clothes off.

Ash sighed. "It won't be for EVER; I'll be back in a week or two."

"But it's going to be REALLY dangerous," Iris argued. "Why would you even THINK about doing something like this?"

Ash raised an eyebrow at the girl.

"Iris," the brown eyed boy explained. "I have been hunted down since I was really young…THIS isn't THAT dangerous if you compare the two."

Iris shook her head. "I CAN'T let you make such a childish decision!"

Ash laughed at the way the girl used her catchphrase and Iris glared at the raven haired boy.

"I'm sorry," Ash said as he tried to calm down. "But you REALLY have NO IDEA what you are talking about. I have been dealing with this stuff for a while now, and you just learned about it now. Tell me- what makes you think you know what the best thing to do right now is?"

Iris was silent for a moment as she continued to glare at him.

"Ash, you are just a kid-,"

"But so are YOU! Don't you understand that this girl may be hurt right now? Don't you get it? I've been in this girl's situation more than once in my life and it's either painful, depressing, or both." Ash crossed his arms and gave Iris a serious look. "If I am REALLY the only person Blake could get to go with him, then I'm going to do it. No one deserves this kind of treatment."

Iris stopped glaring at Ash and moved her gaze to the ground. Cilan stayed silent as he stared worriedly at Ash.

"So…you are leaving?" Cilan asked again. The brown eyed boy looked over at his taller friend.

"Yes, but I'm going to be back. Just think of it as if I'm going on a trip," Ash replied.

"But we are taking care of Pikachu while you are gone," Iris demanded. Ash glanced over at the girl and smiled.

"Thank you, Iris."

Annime: I don't know if that was that good. XP

Iris: Please review!


	4. Burning Buildings

Annime: Hi! Sorry it's been so long!

Ash: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else!

_**Chapter 3**_

"I can't believe it," Iris murmured. "He seriously left."

The two were walking down a dirt trail towards the next city. Pikachu was on Cilan's shoulders while he walked beside the purple haired female.

"This is important to him, Iris," Cilan said.

"How could this one girl be more important than his Pokémon; as a trainer he should put them before things like this!"

Cilan sighed and crossed his arms. "It's not like he's not going to be back. And if what he says is true, then a lot of other people could be in trouble too."

Iris huffed. "But why did it have to be Ash?"

"I don't know," Cilan answered truthfully. "But what REALLY matters is that it WAS Ash, and he needs to be careful."

Ash flipped a switch on the controls and then sighed as he sat back in his seat. He looked over at Blake, who was driving the air craft.

"Where are we going?" Ash asked, breaking the silence.

"We think that Team Rocket has a base in the middle of the Unova region," Blake spoke without looking away from the clouds ahead of them. "We are first going to check that out and then the city farthest to the East. The information my parents filtered out stated that the base was in at least one of those places."

Ash nodded, sitting back in his seat. Silence flooded the craft once again, giving the room a tense feeling. Still not looking at the boy sitting next to him, Blake asked,

"You're worried about Pikachu, aren't you?"

Ash sighed as he wiped his hands on his pants. "How can I not? I mean, have you SEEN those jerks lately? They suddenly seem to REALLY know what they are doing no-a-days."

Blake nodded in agreement. "My mom and dad are STILL having trouble finding out what they're mission is."

Ash looked over at the brunette and raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding me, right?" Blake shook his head. "Wow, I never knew they would get such an important mission."

"It COULD be an important mission," Blake corrected. "Or it could be so small that it's under the radar."

"Well, they sure seem to think it's important if they are asking so serious."

"Oh, they could have been fooled into thinking that it's more important than it REALLY is. Team Rocket has been known to do that to their agents to keep them busy."

"Wow, that's kinda cruel."

"Trust me when I tell you that you don't even know the half of it."

After about three hours of walking, the two Pokémon trainers were entering the next city. Well, it wasn't ACTUALLY considered a city, but a small town just like the one they had left. Once they stepped foot within the town's borders, they heard screams around them.

People were running out of the stores and past Iris and Cilan. An explosion filled the air suddenly, making the two cringe. Pikachu bent his ears down since the noise was so loud. Cilan looked up first to see smoke rising into the sky from a building that was down the street. It collapsed automatically, burying anyone who had happened to be left inside.

"Oh no," Iris whispered as she watched the destruction around her. "This is unbelievable." Cilan's facial expression turned from one of shock to one of determination.

"Come on," Cilan told Iris as he started to run into the chaotic city. Iris gave him a look that showed that he was insane, but seeing that she had no choice, she followed him. The tall, green haired boy ran through the streets until he had located the fire station. Unfortunately, it had been dosed with flames. Cilan cursed under his breath and glanced around him. Covering his mouth from the smoke, he saw all of the buildings coming down around him. "Dang it," he muttered. "No one's here! And we don't have any water Pokémon that are strong enough to put out all of these flames." The green eyed boy silently wished that Ash were here, or that he had at least taken Oshawott along with him instead of letting Ash send it to Professor Juniper like the rest of his Pokémon.

"Come on, Cilan," Iris yelled as she covered her mouth. "We have to get out of here! If not we might suffocate on the smoke!"

'Or worse,' Cilan thought as he nodded to Iris. They were about to race back to the exit of the city when something suddenly grabbed Cilan around the waste. As he was yanked into the air, Iris shrieked in pain and fear.

"Oh, and what do we have here?" a voice questioned. "Two little kids coming to try to help save the town?" Cilan glanced up and growled when he saw who the speaker was.

A boy and girl sat in a giant machine that had grabbed both Cilan and Iris. The girl had long, straight green hair with bangs while the boy had long spiky hear that was purple. The woman's eyes were yellow while the boy's eyes were light blue.

"Who are you?" Cilan ordered as he tried to get free from their grasp.

The girl chuckled. "I'm Lunette, and this is my partner, Alester."

"Now, would you look at that darling Pikachu," Alester pointed out, completely changing the subject. Iris bared her teeth.

"You can't have him!" She shouted, trying to get free. Pikachu also struggled since he was placed snuggly between Iris and the metal of the robot.

"Oh, but we can," Lunette corrected. The robot loosened its hold on Iris and Pikachu just enough for Pikachu to slip out. But, just as quickly as the robot smashed Iris again, Pikachu was locked in a glass container.

"I think we can do Jessie and James a favor since they did us one today," Alester spoke.

Lunette nodded. "Yea this might not have been as successful without them."

"Jessie?" Iris questioned for a minute as she tried to breathe. Then it hit her like a brick. "No! You CAN'T give that to Team Rocket!"

Alester raised an eyebrow and pointed at the 'R' on his T-shirt. "Umm…we ARE Team Rocket."

"You know what I mean!" she yelled, still feeling the pain of being squished.

"Well, I don't think YOU are in the position to give US orders," Lunette snapped. "Especially since you are both coming with us?"

Annime: I hope I didn't rush that too much…

Blake: Please review!


	5. Melting Sand

Annime: Hello-

Ash: What's taking you so long?

Annime: LOOK, MISTER; IF I GET ONE MORE QUESTION LIKE THAT I'M TAKING DOWN THIS STORY!

Ash: 0.0 What?

Annime: Lolz, JUST KIDDING! I won't take it down! But, I haven't updating lately because I haven't been able to. I have had band camp and it's EXAUSTING!

Ash: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else.

_**Chapter 4**_

"We are almost there," Blake told Ash as he shook the boy. Ash had been off in his own little world, so he jumped a bit, startled.

"What?" Ash questioned since he hadn't been paying much attention.

"We are almost there," Blake repeated. The brunette then smirked. "Get ready to jump out!"

"I am NOT jumping out when we don't have a parachute!"

"But we DO have parachutes."

"Oh and when was the last time you checked them?"

"…When I first got them…"

"Blake, would you mind telling me WHEN you got them?"

"…It was about a year ago…"

Ash threw his hands up into the air. "See; I am NOT in the mood to break ANY of my bones today."

"You are such a party pooper, Ash," Blake complained as he got the plane ready to land. Ash shrugged, but didn't say anything. Blake, though, was murmuring to himself and mocking the raven haired boy under his breath.

Once the plane was landed, Ash unbuckled his seatbelt, climbed out of his seat, and stalked over to the door. Using both hands, the Pokémon trainer slid the door open and took a step out onto the sand. Blake jumped out behind him and closed the door.

"Isn't it so nice here?" Blake asked as he took in a deep breath. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, why not?" Ash mumbled. 'Man, is Blake bipolar today or something? One minute his complaining and the next minute he's jumping around like he's in a patch of clovers-,'

"- you today?" Blake finished.

"What?"

"What is up with you today?" Blake spoke more slowly. "You have had an attitude all the way here and you just REFUSE to give me a break!"

Ash sighed/huffed and massaged his temples. "I just don't want to be here right now. I never have felt comfortable leaving pikachu and I never will."

"Well, SOMEONE has issues."

"It's not funny, Blake!"

"I never said it was funny! I'm just saying that you need to get over it so we can get this mission done and over with! Then you will be able to go to your precious Pokémon! Now cut the attitude out of my day, and fast."

Ash wanted to argue. He could feel his face getting bet red too. But, the brown eyed boy stopped himself because he knew Blake was right.

Clearing his throat, Ash changed the subject. "So, where is this base supposed to be?" Blake pulled a map out of his back pocket. Taking a look at it, the brunette frowned.

"It's supposed to be right here," Blake whispered, almost to himself. Ash heaved out a sigh.

"I guess we may have to go to that other place," Ash muttered as he turned back to the plane. Blake stared at the ground for a moment and held up his hand.

"Wait a second," he told Ash. "Something isn't right."

Ash turned to Blake with a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember when Chris was rambling on one day about being able to see if the ground structure's been altered?"

"Yeah…but which lecture was that; he has a lot of those teaching-thingies?"

"It's about being able to find something UNDER the ground," Blake reminded him. "I think the base might be under the ground!"

"But…this is all sand."

"Maybe on the TOP it is, but it probably isn't on the bottom!"

Ash huffed. "I'll go get the shovels-,"

"No!" Blake objected. "You are going to toast this sucker!" Ash blinked, and then a smirk appeared on his face.

"I love the way you think, my friend!" Ash held out his hands towards the spot Blake was pointing to and started to melt the sand.

Iris struggled and grunted as she tried to untie the knot that bounded her arms together. Cilan was across from her in a chair similar to hers. He was trying to get free as well, but then stopped and heaved a sigh.

"Iris, I think we are just making the knots tighter."

"No," Iris argued. "I'm making them LOSER." Cilan used all of his strength not to roll his eyes at the girl. Her stubbornness was equal to Ash's, and this made him wonder why she always called him the kid.

"It must be like the pot calling the kettle black," Cilan mumbled to himself. Iris stopped for a moment and looked at the green haired boy.

"What did you say?"

"Oh, nothing- nothing important, really; are you almost done?"

Iris raised an eyebrow for a moment, but ignored her curiosity. "Yeah, just…hold…on…a second." Once the last word had passed through her lips, the rope around her hands snapped and gave Cilan a smirk. "Does THIS look like I'm making it tighter, to you?"

"Whatever; just untie me."

Iris shrugged, hopped up, and did as the boy said.

"I wonder if this will make glass," Blake thought aloud as he watched Ash. Ash shrugged.

"It might cool off and become clear, but right now I think I'm making it too hot."

"Wait a second- what do we know about making glass?"

"I don't know. I just thought it took high temperatures."

"It might need more things."

"Don't ask me; I never really cared."

The moment Ash spoke the last word, the ground beneath them collapsed. Both of the boys screamed in surprise and fear as they plummeted to somewhere unknown to them.

"It looks like a prison," Cilan said to Iris. The girl rolled her eyes.

"No dip, Sherlock," the purple haired girl muttered. Cilan ignored the statement and continued.

"It's not even original. I mean, it's all just metal hallways with cells. I have seen things like this on TV all the time."

"I don't think they really care about being 'original', Cilan."

"Still, I can't taste the flavor."

"Ok, is the coast clear or not?"

"It's clear, but we better move quickly and quietly." Cilan led the way as they rushed down a hallway. He came to a halt and looked around the other corner. "Oh no," he whispered as he turned to the brown eyed girl. "There's a whole row of guards!"

Annime: I hope you like this!

Blake: Please review!


	6. Guards

Annime: Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the wait. But, of course, if you want to come and do my homework, practice my flute, and read my book I'll have to do a book report on at some point then come right on ahead. Then I might write more. XD Lolz just kidding!

Ash: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else!

_**Chapter 5**_

"Oww," Ash groaned as he rubbed his head. "That was a drop if I've ever seen one."

"Tell me about it," Blake murmured as he stood up on his knees. "My head hurts."

"No kidding," Ash agreed. The raven haired boy crossed his legs as he sat on the ground. His eyes scanned the room to find that it was huge and dark except for the rows of lights that hung on the ceiling. "I wonder if we are inside the base.

"Yeah, we are," Blake informed his friend. "We are just in the space room."

"What's a space room?"

"It's a room full of space. Ha! Team Rocket always seems to think they need it though. Maybe they are at the point where they never know when they have to hold something big."

"Well, that's odd."

"I still don't think it's as odd as the fact that they stalk kids."

"You have a good point there."

"Now what do we do?" Blake questioned.

"We find where the prison is located," Ash told him. "That's most likely where they are holding that mystery girl."

"How are we supposed to get past them?" Iris demanded for the seventh time. Cilan took a deep breath.

The two had been hiding behind the corner from the group of guard for over ten minutes now, and the purple haired girl was getting irritated.

"Stop asking me, already," Cilan defended. "I'm just as new to all of this as you are."

"Ok them," Iris said. "Maybe we should use our Pokémon."

"Iris," the green haired boy hissed. "Don't you remember? They took our Pokémon a while ago."

"Oh yeah…" the girl whispered. "Dang it!" her head flew backwards with anger and hit the metal wall. This proved to be a bad idea when the noise from the contact echoed through the hall.

"Who's there?" one of the soldiers shouted. "Show yourselves!"

Iris and Cilan stood still and tried to be as quiet as they could be. Their eyes were wide with fear and nervousness.

"I think the sound came from over there!" one of the other guards said. Footsteps started to move towards the two. Iris thought she was going to suffocate while Cilan expected to have a heart attack.

Then, suddenly, another noise that was even louder than the one Iris had made rang through the halls.

"They are down here," a soldier sounded from a little ways away. "They have to be!" Footsteps danced across the floor until the sound had left the two's ears.

"That was a close one," Cilan whispered.

"Is anyone there?" Iris asked. The boy looked around the corner for a moment.

"Nope, no one's there," he announced.

"Well then go!" Iris commanded, pushing the green eyed boy into around the turn. The two then took off at full speed away from the prison.

"You just had to hit the wall, didn't you?" Blake complained. "Now they are coming after us!"

"Well it is better for them to come after us than whoever they were going after before," Ash argued. "And besides- don't you want a little taste of action?"

"You are out of your mind."

"Yep, now answer the question."

Blake didn't have time to, though, because that's when the guards came running around the corner and almost past them. Ash stuck out his right leg and tripped one of the men.

"Hey," a guard snapped. "Why are you two boys trespassing?"

"Oh, like you don't already know," Ash spoke. He then took his left foot and kicked the soldier in the jaw. "Ok, Blake, sorry for the tease about having fun, but I think you should go and look for the prison."

"Good idea," Blake said. "You be careful."

"Don't worry, I will."

The brunette then took off from his place to where the guards had come from.

"I don't think so," a female soldier shouted as she pulled out a gun. Ash grabbed the woman by her hair and yanked her backwards.

"Well I DO think so," Ash objected. "So you better behave because I'm not afraid to hit a girl."

"Which way should we go now?" Iris asked Cilan as they continued to run along the hall.

"I don't know," the green eyed boy had to remind his friend. "The last turn I saw was a while ago, and that was where the guards went." Iris bit her lip and spun her head back to looking at the walls.

'There has to be something,' the female thought. Then a dull image of a door appeared a little was ahead on her side of the hallway. 'That's it!' The girl grabbed Cilan's hand and pulled him towards her destination. She then opened the door and pushed him inside without saying anything.

Blake looked down at his watch on his left wrist. After pressing a button, a 3D screen appeared over the numbers. The tiny screen loaded into a map of the entire base.

"This way," Blake murmured under his breath as he turned right.

"I tried to warn them," Ash muttered with a smirk. "But NO; they wouldn't listen." The brown eyed boy looked at all of the unconscious soldiers and shrugged. "Aww well." With this, he looked down the hall his friend had left to. "Ok, now where did that guy go this time?" He race down in the direction he knew Blake had went, but once he reached a turn he knew there was a problem. Taking a deep breath and making a choice, he turned right and dashed away.

"What was that for?" Cilan complained as he looked at Iris.

"I found a door," Iris explained.

"Yes, you did. But you could have warned me before you just grabbed my arm and yanked me against my will!"

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking about that."

"Well next time can you? I'd rather not go through that again."

"At least we are somewhere different."

Cilan turned around and looked around the bright, white room.

"The question is what this place is?"

Annime: I hope you liked it!

Blake: Please review!


	7. Liquid Pods

Annime: Hello! Please enjoy the new chapter!

Ash: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else.

_**Chapter 6**_

"Wow," Iris whispered. "I've never been in a room like this one before!"

"I wonder what it's for," Cilan said with awe as he walked farther inside. Iris bit her lip, getting a little nervous, but knowing that she didn't want to go back with those guards, she followed her friend.

Blake raced through the halls of the prison with caution. Usually there were guards there, but now it seemed empty.

'Were those guards Ash took care of prison guards as well?' Blake wondered. 'It would make sense since there were so many of them. But the question is… who were they chasing?' The brunette stopped running once he realized that the place wasn't just empty because the guards were gone, but there were actually no prisoners either. His gray eyes scanned the cells until one finally caught his eye. It looked like it had been opened. Carefully, he walked slowly towards it and peeked inside. There wasn't a lot, though, only chairs with untied ropes on the ground.

"Why would they want to lock up someone so weak," Blake said. "Usually they want people who need metal to hold them down or things like that." He poked his head out of the room and scratched his head. "Why is Team Rocket so weird?"

Ash grew tired of running. He couldn't find any room that could be useful to finding Blake.

"Why is this place so stupid?" Ash complained loudly, not caring if any more of the guards heard him. He was about to turn into the first door to his left when he heard screams coming from even farther down the hall. 'What was that?' Curious, he left the door and continued running.

Cilan and Iris walked into what seemed like a bright pit hole for about ten minutes. Nothing met their gaze except for that bright white light that seemed to come from nowhere.

"Great," Iris muttered. "This is probably a trap."

A blonde girl lay in a healing pod in a deep slumber. Nothing opened her blue eyes as her pale skin soaked in the water.

Until a young girl's voice met her ears.

"This is probably a trap," the voice spoke.

The blonde's eyes flew open and she peered at the two kids. She rested the palms of her hands on the glass that enclosed her and tried to push. After a moment, she was finally able to remember why they couldn't see her.

'Everything is invisible,' she thought. 'This pod, the equipment, even I are unseen by them. And the only way to change that is to break through this irritating surface!' The blonde continued to bang and hit at the glass with all the strength she could muster.

"Did you hear that?" Cilan whispered with fear.

"Yeah," Iris agreed, taking a step towards him.

"But where would it have come from?" the green haired boy questioned. "We are a long way from the door."

'Oh, but they can hear me,' the blonde thought. 'Ok…but what does he mean "we are a long way from the door" the door is right behind them.' It then dawned on the girl what was really going on. 'What's hiding me from their eye-sight is also playing with their minds.'

"I don't know," Iris replied to Cilan. "But I'm getting a bad feeling." The purple haired girl looked around the room cautiously and heard the noise again. She jumped and grabbed Cilan's arm. The boy was almost knocked over by the girl's action.

Getting angry at her situation, the blonde brought her arm back and punched the glass. Suddenly, the surface broke; fell to pieces, and the liquid she had been imprisoned in spilled out.

The light that had once flooded the room around Cilan and Iris flashed until it disappeared and showed a room full of machines and a pod with a blonde girl inside…

Ash raced towards the sounds of screaming until a shot of light came from a doorway up ahead of him. He fell to the ground and went into the fetal position in hopes of not getting hit. Once he thought it was safe he looked up to find guards running out of the room. They didn't seem to notice him in their panic as they ran around the first corner Ash had seen in the hallway since he fought the guards.

"What was that about?" Ash murmured to himself. He stood up from the ground and made his way to the room slowly. The boy poked his head inside to look around. His brown eyes went wide once he figured out why everyone was running. "PIKACHU!" he cried. The electric mouse spun around and blinked at its owner. With new found happiness, the Pokémon leapt into the boy's arms.

"Pika!" the mouse shouted. The raven haired trainer hugged the pikachu tightly and laughed.

"I missed you too, buddy," Ash told it. "Man- you sure gave those guys a run for their money." Pikachu chuckled nervously as it used its tail to scratch the back of its head.

Blake huffed as he looked around. He couldn't find a living soul in the prison. Where was that girl?

"I guess she isn't even here," he mumbled. "Great, now Ash and I have to fly all the way to the other base-," The brunette then stopped suddenly in his tracks. "Ash; he was supposed to be here by now! Oh, no, what if he got lost? Or even worse: what if he got captured?" The gray eyed boy took off down the hall in fear for his friend.

Cilan and Iris screamed, "AHH!" as they jumped backwards. The blonde stepped out of the pod and into the puddle of liquid and glass.

Knowing that being blunt was her best option, the blue-eyed girl said, "Hello, my name is Alexis." A smile was graced upon her face as she hoped to make it known to them that she was friendly. "What are your names?" At first the two were silent as they gapped at the girl. Then, finally, Iris was the first to speak.

"Well, I'm Iris and this is Cilan."

Alexis's smile brightened. "Those are great names."

Annime: Aww, how great is it to end a chapter with an awkward conversation?

Blake: Please review!


	8. Blondes

Annime: Hi! I'm back! Wait…I never left…

Ash: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else.

_**Chapter 7**_

"Wait a second," Ash mumbled. "If you are here then where are…?" The boy paused as Pikachu gave him a sad look. "Oh no- and that means they took their Pokémon too! So, if they DO escape somehow, then they are defenseless!" Ash darted out the door with the electric mouse following close behind.

Iris laughed awkwardly at the girl's comment on the two's name's.

"So," she asked. "…Why were you in that tube- thing?"

"It's a…long story," Alexis mumbled quietly. The three stood there for a moment as they contemplated on what to do next. Iris and Cilan were as confused as ever while Alexis was nervous.

Alexis had grown up in a normal house-hold and normal human beings. She, on the other hand, was not so normal. Sadly, the other kids around her- both young and old- noticed this as well. They would torment her and hurt her to no end. It finally became too much one day and she hurt a boy slightly smaller than her. The authorities got involved when they learned how she hurt him and Alexis was taken away from her parents.

Everything had fallen apart at that point in her life. Yeah, sure, her life wasn't amazing before, but she had a safe place to call home every day. After she was taken from her parents, she was moved to a lab where she was tested and experimented on. No one was her friend, and no one treated her with any respect. Finally, when she was 10 years old (5 years after her life took its turn for the worst), she was able to escape from captivity. She was free for only 2 years when Team Rocket discovered her.

That was the second worst twist in Alexis's life. For one thing, Team Rocket didn't just want to study her, but they also wanted to use her against others. Secondly, they hurt her more physically and didn't talk to her at all. This drove the girl into insanity until she could finally escape from them. Lastly, while the scientists from before gave up on finding her, Alexis knew that Team Rocket never would.

"Why are you here?" Alexis asked Cilan and Iris with curiosity.

"A friend of ours went after Team Rocket not too long ago," the green haired boy explained to the blonde. "He left his Pikachu with us. Well, apparently Team Rocket wanted to burn down the city we were traveling to. When we finally got there it was too late to help anyone and we were kid-napped."

"Oh, so you two are Pokémon trainers," Alexis murmured. She tried not to show the pain she had to the two, but she didn't know if she was successful. The memory of when she could have become a Pokémon trainer like the rest of her fellow classmates still raced through her mind, even after so long.

"Yeah," Iris spoke. "But Team Rocket took our Pokémon when they captured us."

Alexis blinked. "Then they would be in the lab."

"You know where that is!"

"Yes, follow me."

"Oh, why did he have to be the freaking hero?" complained Blake as he tried to breath. Even though he knew it wasn't a good idea to talk and run at the same time, he did it anyway. "He just HAD to stay and fight the guards. What a freaking AMAZING idea!"

He paused for a moment when he heard footsteps coming from a doorway. He dashed for a hiding place where he could still see whoever the new comers were. His gray eyes widened once he realized that he knew them.

"Cilan, Iris!" Blake called out to the two. They spun around at the sound of their voices. A blonde- who seemed familiar to the boy- also showed herself.

"Blake," Iris said. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't you know that this is a Team Rocket base? Ash and I are here looking for that girl."

'What girl?' Alexis thought silently.

"Well, where's Ash?" Cilan questioned. Blake crossed his arms and grumbled to himself for a moment.

"I lost him, unfortunately," admitted the brunette. "I've been hoping for the best."

"We need to find their Pokémon," Alexis finally spoke. "You look for this Ash character. We will meet in the prison in an hour."

"Why the prison?" asked the purple haired girl.

"The guards wouldn't expect us to go there, that's why," Blake explained as he agreed with the blonde. "See you three in an hour." The gray eyed boy then left the group to go straight while the others headed for the lab.

"Come on, Pikachu," the black haired boy cried. "We have to get there before Team Rocket does something bad to them!" Pikachu nodded with determination as he sped up.

Ten minutes later, Ash collided with something…no, SOMEONE. The brown eyed rubbed his head as he sat on the ground. The other person had fallen backwards as well.

"Watch where you are going," the raven haired boy grumbled.

"Why don't you?" Blake's voice snapped back. The boys both blinked and looked at each other. The one with gray eyed kid was the first to break the silence. "Where were you? You had me worried sick!"

"You sound like my mother," Ashe commented with a smirk. Blake rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet. He then grabbed his friend's had and pulled him up.

"Come on," said Blake. "There's no time to chat. We have to meet Iris, Cilan, and that girl we've been looking for in only an hour."

"Wait, you found all three of them already?" Ash questioned.

"Didn't I just say that there's no time to- you know what, never mind. Just come on."

Ash always thought it was funny how playful Blake was most of the time, but when it came to meeting a dead-line he got so serious.

Ash let Pikachu on his shoulder as raced behind his friend.

"Do you think we are almost there?" Iris asked Alexis. The blonde gave her a nod, getting nervous for some odd reason.

Annime: I hope you like it!

Blake: Please review!


	9. Erupited

Annime: I'm back and ready for action! And I don't own Pokémon…

_**Chapter 8**_

"Where are they?" Ash asked as he raced alongside Blake. Pikachu was holding on tightly to the boy's shoulder.

"They are looking for their Pokémon," Blake answered. "We should go to the prison."

"Will they be ok?"

"Trust me," Blake spoke with a smirk. "They should be just fine."

"Hey, those are my Pokémon!" Iris cried as she raced deeper into the holding cell for all of the two trainer's Pokémon. Cilan hurried and grabbed his Pokémon as well. A sigh of relief escaped his lips. His figures counted out the poke-a-balls with happiness.

Alexis frowned. She looked around the room and walked slowly. She could hear something…but what was it? She took a step towards the wall to her right and the sound grew louder. The blonde placed her ear against this wall and a ticking sound.

'Where have I heard that from?' she thought in wonder. Then, realization hit her and she gasped. Iris turned to the girl and blinked.

"What's the matter, Alexis?" the purple haired girl questioned. Alexis then turned her scared and urgent eyes to the other girl.

"We HAVE to get out of here, NOW!" Alexis ordered as she grabbed the rest of the poke-a-ball that were yet to be picked up. Iris looked at her with confusion as she struggled to grasp all of her team. The blonde girl then did the same thing to the green haired boy. "Move, NOW!"

"What's the matter?" Cilan asked.

"Don't ask questions? Just GO!" The two trainers didn't question their tour guide anymore as they hurried out the door. Alexis made up the rear. Her fear still made her able to hear the ticking. It was getting faster and faster. Knowing there wasn't any more time she took both of her friend's shoulders and pushed them to the ground.

That's when a huge explosion erupted throughout the entire base. Iris gasped as she heard it and covered her ears. Cilan growled and peaked one of his eyes open.

'Crap- why doesn't anything hurt; shouldn't this hurt?' Once he was able to get a good look at what was in front of him, he noticed everything was in ruins…but the floor he was crouched on top of was fine. He could also see a tint of green. He sat up and turned his head to where he could look up at Alexis with his green eyes.

Cilan could tell that he was in much better shape that the blonde girl was. She was breathing heavily as she continued to hold up the force she had created. The green haired boy stood up and Alexis finally put down the shield.

"What was that?" the boy asked.

"It was a trap," Alexis answered him and she tried to catch her breath (the shield took a lot of her energy). "It was probably left for intruders and/or prisoners who had escaped."

"That's some trap," Iris said with a shaky voice as she finally stood up from the ground. With all honesty, you didn't even need to hear her voice to know she was shaken by what just happened; her body shivered like she was in Antarctica without coat.

Ash gasped when he heard the explosion rip through the hallway. He glanced over at Blake. The brunette was biting his bottom lip. This was a nervous habit Blake seemed to always have.

"What was that?" Ash finally spoke.

"I think it was a bomb-trap," Blake explained. As the two talked their feet never stopped moving.

"A BOMB-TRAP!" exclaimed Ash. "You seriously mean A BOMB!" Right as these words left the raven-head's mouth, they turned a corner and stopped dead in their tracks.

The hallway was a disaster. It looked as though it had been drenched in ash. Heck- it HAD been drenched in ash. It was black too, making the idea of maneuvering through it almost impossible.

"Blake," Ash said. "Where are Iris and Cilan?"

"They should be-," and that's when Blake stopped. His eyes went wide as he slowly lifted his hand and pointed down the ashy hall. Ash gapped.

"Oh no," Ash mumbled. "This is NOT good!" The two took off again in a mad dash that made Pikachu have to hold on tightly.

"Pika," muttered the electric mouse. He was really getting sick of all of this running.

"What do we do now?" Cilan questioned. Alexis sighed.

"I guess we keep heading to the prison," the blonde said. "I don't think the plan has changed at all. I'm not even sure if they know about the explosion."

The three then heard an odd sound coming in the opposite direction from their destination. Their heads spun towards it. Two figures were coming towards them.

"Hey!" Ash's voice called. "Are you guys ok?" Iris smiled.

"Yeah, how about you two?" replied the brown eyed girl.

"We are good," Ash spoke as he tried to catch his breath. The two boys were now standing right in front of the group. "I'm just a little tired."

"Me too," agreed the brunette.

"Take deep breaths," Alexis said wisely. "You must save your strength. The fight is not over yet."

"Thank you for the words of advice," said the black haired boy. "You must be that girl who I can relate too."

"Yes," Alexis spoke with a chuckle. "Being capture so many times can get on your nerves."

"You got that right!"

"Shouldn't we get moving?" Blake pointed out.

"That SHOULD be an exit," Alexis said, pointing towards a blackened door. "But who knows what use that will have for us at this point?"

"Let me try it," Ash mumbled, almost to himself.

"Ash, you get back here," Iris ordered. "What if there is something really bad behind that door?"

"Then I'm in trouble." Ash ignored the nagging girl (even as she scowled him for acting like a kid) and continued his way to the door. He paused for a minute, taking in what his purple-haired friend was saying. He then shrugged it off, took the knob, and opened the door…

Annime: I'm still mean XD

Ash: PLEASE review!


	10. Swarms

Annime: Hi! I don't own Pokémon!

_**Chapter 9**_

Ash blinked as his eyes searched through what looked like a dark room. His hand skimmed across the wall beside the doorway until he found a switch. Once he flipped it, the room became bright. His brown eyes found two cars. They were both large jeep-looking vehicles. Armor layered them and they weapons for equipment.

"Hey, I found something interesting," Ash announced with a smirk. The others walked towards him and Blake jumped with excitement.

"Yes!" the boy cried. "Now we get to leave here in style!"

"Yes," Alexis said calmly. "But how exactly are we going to get them out of here?"

"The same way they got them in here, that's how!" Blake raced over to the other side of the room and felt along the stone wall. "There has to be SOMETHING here!" His hand pressed against the wall slightly until a small part of the metal interior pushed in. Suddenly, a large trap door-like opening appeared. Everyone tilted their heads.

"It's an exit," Alexis pointed out. "Do you see how it's slanted upwards?"

"Yeah!" the purple haired girl agreed. Ash walked over towards one of the jeep-like vehicles and placed a hand on it.

"I think we should use these," Ash told everyone. They all turned to look at him.

"It's too dangerous," Blake argued. "There could be tracers in those."

"Then we will ditch them once we get out of here," the black haired boy said. Blake crossed his arms over his chest. "Look, do you WANT to stay down here, or do you want to leave because I HIGHLY doubt that you can climb up that incline. It's way too steep and smooth." The brunette huffed and let his arms dangle at his sides.

"Fine," Blake mumbled in defeat as he moved towards the other vehicle. The rest of the group climbed into them, splitting up. Alexis had jumped into the jeep with Ash and Cilan. Iris crossed her arms and huffed.

"Hey, I want to be with my friends!" Iris cried.

"Sorry," Alexis said half-heartedly. "Ash and I must stay together because we are the ones they want." The purple haired girl pouted while Cilan shrugged.

"Fine," the girl muttered as she made her way to the other vehicle. Blake could feel his nerves growing as she made her way towards him.

'Great,' Blake groaned silently. 'I'm always the one to get the crazy person!' Ash saw his friend's expression and sent him a sympathetic look. Iris didn't notice this as she hopped into the jeep-like car with Blake.

"So, are we going to go or what?" she grumbled. Blake started the vehicle by pressing a single button. Ash did the same. The brunette then put his vehicle in reverse and moved backwards. He then turned the car to where he was facing the exit. Once he started to drive towards it, the black haired boy mimicked his movements and followed him.

"Hey gramps," Gary yelled as he entered his grandfather's lab. "I'm back!" The boy looked around with curiosity as silence responded back to him. "Grandpa, where are you?" The boy made his way towards the main computer room. Once there, he found his grandfather rubbing his temples and leaning against the giant computer. "Grandpa, what's the matter?"

"Take a look outside," Professor Oak said. His voice was a mixture of worry, exasperation, and seriousness. The younger did as he said and gaped. Outside the window, in the opposite direction from which he had come, there was a mob of black specks flying towards them.

"What are those things?" Gary gasped.

"They are flying machines that Team Rocket specially built for this occasion."

"What do you mean?"

"A few years ago Team Rocket created specially built robots in hopes to take over the world." The professor sighed. "I know this because my friend was tricked into helping them. Fortunately, they needed a lot of energy to get those robots moving- energy they didn't have. So they kidnapped a girl with extraordinary powers to drain this energy."

"What are those things called?" Gary whispered.

"They are the WA 290s."

"That's a weird name."

"Weird or not," Professor Oak said. "They intend on taking over the planet, and there's nothing we can really do."

"I'll take care of them," the boy tried to reassure the elder as he turned to leave.

"No," the professor ordered. "You are to stay here."

"But gramps-,"

"Only one person can take care of this mess."

"Oh, and who is that."

"Ash Ketchum; and I have a feeling he's already in the middle of this storm."

The large jeeps rolled easily up the exit and onto the sand by the beach. Blake moved his to where Ash could park beside him. Their doors opened and everyone climbed out.

"Now what do we do?" Cilan questioned. Ash was about to answer, but instead he gasped.

"What's that matter?" Alexis asked. Ashe pointed to the sky and once the blonde's eyes saw what was going on, her blue eyes widened too.

"Oh no," she whispered.

"They're like a swarm!" Ash commented. Everyone else stared at the sky. Black objects were flying like bees through the air.

"Those are Team Rocket's robots!" Blake announced. Ashe looked away from the sight and moved his brown eyes to the ground. He searched until he found the ship he had traveled with Blake in.

"Come on!" he yelled. "We need to find the source of those things and stop them!" He raced towards the ship with everyone else on his tail. He opened the door as quickly as he could and coaxed everyone aboard.

Blake was the first one to run towards the controls. Ash was right behind him, though, and together they started to press in codes.

"I have a question," Alexis said.

"Now is not a really good time," Ash grumbled with frustration that wasn't aimed at the girl.

"It's important thought."

"Ok, what is it?" Blake said.

"How exactly are we going to find the source of those robots?"

The two boys turned to look at the girl before looking at each other.

The blonde haired girl had a point.

Annime: I hope you liked it!

Ash: Please review!


	11. Problem

Annime: Hi!

_**Chapter 10**_

"Now what are we going to do?" Iris groaned and she fell to her knees. Ash looked from the purple haired girl to the swarm in the sky. His brown eyes then scanned the entire group one by one in thought.

"Alexis, Blake," Ash spoke. "You two go find the source of these things. Iris, Cilan- you guys come with me. We are going to take out as many of those things as we possibly can."

"And how do you think we are going to do that?" Iris questioned. "Stop jumping into things without thinking. Gosh, you're such a kid!" Ignoring he urge to smack the girl, Ash looked over at Cilan.

"Are your Pokémon up for the challenge?" Ash asked the green haired boy. Pikachu jumped up from the ground and onto Ash's shoulder as Cilan grinned.

"Yes, actually, they are," Cilan answered.

"Good, now you two," Ash added when he pointed to Alexis and Blake. "You know where each base is better than anyone else. While we take care of the swarm, you take down the base these things are coming from. Maybe then we will be able to stop them once and for all."

"I highly doubt the last part will ever happen," Blake grumbled. "Team Rocket is like a cockroach- they ALWAYS come back no matter how hard you step on them."

"But we can still try. Iris, Cilan, let's go!" Ash raced to the jeep like vehicles that they had been driving before.

"Didn't you say those things could be tracked?" Iris yelled after the black haired boy.

"It doesn't really matter. Team Rocket will most likely be more focused on the swarm than us. Alexis, Blake, take the air craft!" The blonde and brunette nodded and raced towards the air craft. Iris and Cilan ran over to Ash. Iris jumped into the same jeep as Cilan. Ash wasn't hurt by this thought, because he had been hoping that she would pick the green haired boy to ride with.

Ash led Cilan and Iris away and into the forest towards the direction the swarm was moving to. Blake was only just starting the air craft when they left.

"Where do you think these machines are coming from?" Alexis asked in hopes to come up with some idea in which to go with.

"I'm thinking that they might be coming from the air base close to Jubilife City."

"That's in an entirely different region!"

"But it IS the direction they are coming from," Blake pointed out. "And they are moving towards Pallet town. This region is just in their path."

"What is the importance of Pallet Town?"

"It's Ash's home-town."

"Well, how is he going to get there?"

Blake went silent for a moment before pressing a few buttons that made the air craft start to fly. "Ash is smart. He'll find a way to get there."

Ash was about five yards in front of Cilan and Iris as he swerved through the forest. Pikachu was hanging tightly onto his shoulder. If Cilan and Iris were thinking that this wasn't Ash's first time doing something like this, they would be right. The black haired boy had a childhood full of moments like this. The only difference was that the rest of the complete set wasn't here.

Selena, Nic, Leon, and Chris were all back on their own respected planets taking care of their own problems. Ash knew that if they could take care of their problems without him, he could do the same without them. He just had to figure out how.

His attention went back to the two friends that rode behind him. He winced. Ash hadn't wanted them to be dragged into this mess. The boy didn't know what he would do if they got hurt. Sure, he didn't know the two all that well and Iris got on his nerves A LOT, but he still cared about them. They were still his friends. So, he promised himself that he would protect them.

Once Ash had exited the forest he stopped his jeep-like vehicle and climbed out. He looked up at the never ending swarm as Cilan and Iris stopped beside him.

"What the matter, Ash?" the green haired friend asked. Ash didn't look at him as his fists came aflame.

"Let out your Pokémon and tell them to aim at the machines," the brown eyed boy ordered. With this said he aimed at the swarm and shot the fire he had in his hands. The blast caused about ten machines to explode. But, surprisingly, the pieces joined back together and turned towards Ash. The boy scowled at the devices' come back and shot another blaze of fire. It seemed to do nothing and the young trainer growled. "Guys…it looks like we have a problem."

Alexis watched as Blake worked with the controls of the air craft. He had them on course for Jubilife City. It was now home of one of the largest Team Rocket bases in the world. To her it made sense that the robots would be coming from there, but…

How did Blake know? For all Alexis knew, Blake didn't have any powers. He wasn't even a target of Team Rockets. So, how did he know SO much about them like Ash had said?

"Hey, Blake," the blonde finally spoke.

"Yes," Blake said, waiting for her statement.

"Where do you fit in with all of this?"

"I'm one of Ash's friends."

"Yes, I know that, but… how did you know there was a base in Jubilife City?"

Blake sighed at the question before saying, "Well, my parents are secret agents who spy on Team Rocket. I'm a young spy in training, so while they are too busy to, I help those who are targeted by the horrible group. Sadly, though, I couldn't help you in time." The boy sounded guilty at mentioning his failure.

"Don't feel so bad," she reassured. "You didn't know."

"But that's not true," the boy corrected. "I DID know. I first found out a week after you were taken away from your parents. I was young back then- REALLY young. I didn't have the information I have now. So, protecting you (which was one of my first missions like this), was also my biggest failure of my career. And, for that, I am sorry." Blake wasn't looking at Alexis, so he couldn't see her smiling.

"Really, don't worry about it," she repeated. She couldn't even BEGIN to explain to him how good it felt to know someone actually TRIED to help her.

Annime: I hope you liked it!

Ash: Please review!


	12. What Else Can We Do?

Annime: I'M SO STCK WITH THIS STORY AND NO ONE REVIEWED ON MY LAST CHAPTER! I don't even know if I'll be able to finish this, but I'll try my hardest! Just please review! It might help me a little bit. OH, review me ideas please!

Ash: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else!

_**Chapter 11**_

Iris stared at the machines in fear.

"What do you mean you don't know how to stop them?" Iris cried. The purple haired girl shook with fear as her eyes stayed on the robots.

"They have to have a weakness," Ash muttered to his friends. "We just need to find out what it is."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Iris questioned. Ash studied the machines carefully for a moment.

"I know what we can try," Cilan suggested. "We could hit them at different angles."

"And we can hit them with different things like water and electricity," Ash added. He turned to look at the small friend who rested on his shoulder. "Are you ready, Pikachu?" Pikachu nodded with excitement before jumping off to attack.

"We're here," Blake announced as he landed a mile outside of Jubilife City. Alexis blinked at the buildings up ahead.

"Wow," she whispered. "Those are bigger than when I was a little kid."

"Jubilife is a growing city. They'll probably have more buildings like that in the near future."

"Wow…hey, why are we parked so far away from the city, anyway?"

"Their radars can't reach a mile away on the ground," Blake answered. "They never seemed to notice that. Figures- Team Rocket thinks that whatever's not smart or strong enough to fly can't hurt them. Personally, I don't think it sense, but that's THEIR twisted minds, not mine." He hopped off the air ship and took a look around. "It looks like the coast is clear, you can come out now." Alexis jumped out after him and looked around herself. Everything was rock. She could see a forest in the distance, but that looked to be miles away. "Let's getting moving," Blake said after a few moments of silence. He stepped towards the city while Alexis followed him.

Ash grunted as he was rammed through a tree. The machines were very powerful- maybe TOO powerful. The black haired boy wasn't going to go down without a fight, though. He stood back up and jumped right back into the fight.

The Pokémon were doing slightly better. It was probably because they were smaller targets, and the fact that Ash was a more important target MIGHT have had something to do with it (sarcasm).

Pikachu actually seemed to be doing some damage…and then he hit the bottom of the machine. Once the target was hit, it broke into pieces and fell from the sky. When it hit the ground and didn't come back up, Ash smiled.

"I think Pikachu just figured out their weakness," Ash said with a smirk.

Pikachu smiled and yelled, "Pika," with excitement.

Blake and Alexis looked around Jubilife City. Alexis tilted her head before turning to Blake.

"Are you POSITIVE that the base is here?" the girl questioned. Blake sighed with exasperation.

"For the millionth time, YES," Blake spoke as he walked farther into the city. The blonde girl followed him closely. Her eyes scanned the area around her with nervousness. She had a feeling something was going to jump out at her-

"Hello!" a female voice almost screamed into Alexis's ear. The blonde girl jumped and spun towards where the voice came from. Blake stopped to look as well.

The girl looked about their age. She had blue eyes and blue hair. A Pokémon was standing beside her like Pikachu would do for Ash. Another girl was standing next to her with her own Pokémon. She had orange-red hair and sun glasses on her head. They were both smiling at Alexis.

Alexis smiled nervously back at the two. "H-hello…"

"You look like you're new around here," the blue haired girl said. "I'm Dawn, and this is Zoey. Would you like us to show us around?

"No thank you," Blake answered for Alexis as he laughed nervously, trying to pretend that they weren't in a serious situation. "We need to get going. Come on Alexis." He took the blonde's hand as he quickly stalked away. Alexis turned to wave at the nice girls behind her. The two seemed to have looks of confusion on their faces.

Ash used fire balls to destroy five machines at the same time. He growled as he noticed that their numbers never seemed to decrease.

"Guys, get into the forest," he cried. They did as he said, and the machine went back to flying in their original direction.

"What's the matter Ash?" Cilan asked. Ash shook his head.

"This isn't working," he muttered. "We need to wait for Alexis and Blake to take out the source first."

Iris closed her eyes tightly and slid down a tree until she was sitting on the ground. She didn't know how to handle this- she didn't know how Ash COULD handle this. He never showed these signs of maturity before; he always acted like a little kid.

"So, what, we just wait here?" Iris murmured, trying not to sound as scared as she was.

"You will," Ash told her with a pause. "I need to find a way to get to the base."

"You're not going without us," Cilan argued.

"I HAVE TO," Ash corrected him. "This is my mess, so I'll be the one to clean it up."

"I SERIOUSLY beg to differ."

"Look," the brown eyed boy spoke as he stared straight into Cilan's eyes. "I never know how these things will end. Team Rocket sometimes seems like they are just a nuisance, but that doesn't mean they are the most merciful people on the planet. I have a better chance of making it out than you guys do because I have powers."

"We have Pokémon, Ash!"

"And what if they get hurt, Cilan?" Ash whispered. "What happens then?"

The green eyed boy looked down at the ground for a moment and sighed. He REALLY didn't have an option here. Pikachu snuggled against Ash's arm. The black haired boy hugged him as Cilan looked up.

"You be careful, Ash," Cilan ordered. "We'll take care of Pikachu."

"Thank you," Ash breathed as he let go of his small friend. "You guys stay low. They won't go after you if you don't put up a fight!" With this, the boy raced away into the woods.

"I don't like feeling useless," Iris said.

"I don't either," Cilan agreed. "But…there's nothing else we can do…"

Annime: Again, I hope you liked it!

Ash: PLEASE REVIEW! It might help her!


	13. Duplicant

Annime: Ok, here we go!

Ash: Annime doesn't own Pokémon or anything belonging to someone else.

_**Chapter 12**_

Alexis pouted as Blake continued to drag her away from the scene.

"They just wanted to help," Alexis muttered under her breath. Blake sighed.

"And how exactly are they going to be able to help our situation?" the boy replied. "I know exactly where we are go-,"

The boy stopped for a moment as he stared at a large building they had come across. He stopped abruptly, making Alexis run into him. She stumbled to the ground when he let go of her and she glared at the back of his head.

"You know, you could have warned me," she mumbled.

Blake didn't answer, though. Instead he slowly walked towards the building. Alexis raised an eyebrow.

"Umm, Blake…is everything ok?"

After a long pause, Blake shook his head. "No…no, this can't be right."

"What are you talking about?"

"If it's not here, then…then where is it? It's supposed to be RIGHT HERE!"

"What's supposed to be there?"

"THE ENERGY SOURCE!" yelled Blake. "It's supposed to be RIGHT HERE, but this building…it's DESERTED!"

"It could still be inside-,"

"No," Blake said as he looked at his scanner. "There are NO energy readings; there's NOTHING in this building!"

"Well, we can always go look somewhere else. I don't understand why you're completely freaking out."

Blake sighed. "Alexis, the WA 290 project wasn't made to be a permanent project."

"Ok," Alexis spoke slowly. "Can you EXPLAIN…?"

"The WA 290 robots are made to go into objects, such as walls, and EXPLODE!"

"And WHY didn't you mention this before?"

"Why did it MATTER before; if we were unable to defeat them before, why freak anyone out any more?"

"So what you're saying is Ash can't handle pressure?"

"Pretty much," Blake mumbled in reply.

Ash's jeep didn't seem to go fast enough as he drove through the fields located close to the south of the forest where Cilan and Iris were hiding.

The boy had contacted Blake's parents for information on where the newest Team Rocket base was. It looked as if the organization had finally started to work in the Unova region.

Blake's parents had told him that Team Rocket's REAL plan wasn't very pleasant. Ash, though, didn't really want to think about what the situation might be. Pressure wasn't Ash's friend.

"Ten miles west," Ash muttered to himself as he turned the steering wheel in that direction.

Suddenly, the entire jeep was lifted off the ground with record speed. Ash panicked and gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. He was then moving through the air at an even faster speed, making his head spin. When he finally CRASHED into-whatever he crashed into- the boy was knocked unconscious from the pure shock he was in.

Blake rammed his head into the concrete building that was SUPPOSED to be the base as his phone rang. The sound made him stop and blink. He reached into his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" he spoke with a questioning voice.

"Hello, Blake," a female said on the other line.

"Mom?" questioned Blake. "Why are you calling me?"

"I need to tell you that Ash is heading for the newest Team Rocket base-,"

"Wait, there's more than one in Unova?"

"Yes, and he's heading straight for it."

"Crap," Blake whispered as his mom hung up the phone.

"What's the matter?" Alexis asked.

"Ash is about to get himself in a LOT of trouble," Blake grumbled as he stalked away in the direction they had come.

Ash groaned as he sat up. He was lying on a hard metal floor with a giant headache. The brown eyed boy rubbed the soar part of his head and sighed as he felt that it was warm and wet.

"Finally you woke up!" a voice piped up out of nowhere. This made Ash jump to his feet, and this made his head spin.

"Who are you?" Ash asked the speaker. Everything was dark enough to where his eyes couldn't adjust to his surroundings. He wished it had stayed dark, however, when extremely bright lights were suddenly turned on. Once he was able to look around without blinked too much he notice a woman standing ten feet away from him. She had red hair, green eyes, and a Team Rocket uniform on.

'Crap,' Ash thought as he went into a fighting position.

"You might not want to fight me," the girl suggested. "You might want to save your energy for…him."

"Who's 'him'?" Ashe questioned, but before he could say anything else, the floor gave out underneath him. The boy was sent through a tunnel of darkness that became a slide. It soon led him to another black room (forever making him scared of the dark).

This time, instead of being surprised with extremely bright lights, he was surprised by lights creating a trail towards a pod. Ash felt his stomach drop at the idea of what could be in the pod. Whenever he saw pods it didn't turn out very well for him.

He stood there for a moment waiting for something to happen. After that moment he started to walk slowly over to the pod. He knew it was a trap- it was obvious- but he might be hanging out for a while if he didn't do something.

And there was sort of a problem on the outside that had to be taken care of.

Once he was close to the pod, he looked closely at what was inside. Unfortunately it was covered by fake dust (he didn't know who Team Rocket was trying to fool). Ash took his right hand and started to wipe away some of the dust off. When he did this, though, everything bad that could happen did.

A print of his hand appeared on the tube and he growled. It wasn't fake dust - it was a powder used by Team Rocket trigger things such as bombs. Ash closed his eyes and red lights started to flash. A sound loud enough to make the Pokémon trainer lose his hearing rang through the air. He expected an explosion, but when none came he finally opened his eyes a little.

Everything around him stopped- the lights turned off, the sound turned off, he's thoughts flew out of his head, his breathing stopped, and even his heart stopped beating for a second.

There, inside the now open pod, was his duplicate that just began to wake up.

Annime: I hope you like it!

Ash: PLEASE REVIEW!


	14. Escape

Annime: I know, I KNOW! It's been more than a month. But I was a little angry when I was about half way done with this chapter…and then lost it… AHHHHH! I WANT THESE STORIES DONE MORE THAN YOU DO!

Ash: Annime doesn't own POKEMON or anything belonging to someone else.

_**Chapter 13**_

Before Ash could even think, he was slammed against a wall and held there by his throat. His oxygen and comfort level began to dwindle as he struggled to get lose.

"_Do you like our newest project, Ash?" a voice spoke over an intercom. "We call him AF-9-0. He is the first perfection in our long line of duplicates. Soon we will have a copy of everyone in the complete set."_

Ash growled, or tried to, as he kicked his copy in the face. It seemed to do nothing. The clone didn't flinch- he didn't even BLINK! Ash's fear rose at this as his eyes widened.

"_These clones, as you might call them, have your powers, but not your emotions. They don't feel fear like you do, and they don't care like you do, so they won't hesitate when they get rid of you."_

At this, the clone slammed Ash to the floor and then threw him across the room. The black haired boy hit the other wall so hard that it left a dent and made his head swim. Before he could even think, he was pulled by the hair of his head and slammed to the floor. As was stunned by the pain and laid there for a moment with his eyes clutched tightly closed. Silence numbed his mind, and as he finally tried to stand, he was yanked by his arm and forcefully pulled to his feet.

This time, Ash was ready, and balled his hand into a fist. He used this fist to hit the clone square in the jaw. The duplicate staggered backwards a few feet, giving Ash the time he needed to run.

'I need to find an exit,' Ash thought. He gasped as he was tackled to the floor.

"WILL YOU SLOW DOWN!?"Alexis yelled as Blake jerked the car the left, making Alexis ram into the car door.

"We can't!" The boy stressed. "We have to get to Ash before he gets himself hurt!"

"That doesn't mean we have to hurt ourselves in the process!"

"I'm sure we will be fine!"

Alexis rolled her eyes at this and winced harshly when they hit a large bump. The car almost went spiraling out of control, but luckily Blake was able to keep things from going bad.

Blake glanced over at Alexis for a moment, gaining her attention once again.

"You do understand the risk of you coming along on this…'adventure,' correct?"

Alexis nodded. "More than you know."

"Ok, then I will have to ask you to do something for me."

"What?"

"Don't let Ash go through what you went through- what he has already gone through."

"What do you-,"

"He was gone for nearly a year, so his time doesn't hold a candle to yours, but when he came back…he wasn't the same."

"I understand how that feels…"

"I know, so PLEASE help keep him from that fate."

Ash took off into the opposite direction of the clone and its container. The boy knew he needed to find a way out, but he wasn't sure how.

The black haired boy could hear footsteps behind him as he ran his hands against the wall. There had to be a door knob or even a hidden button to open a door-

"There is no escape," a voice said behind Ash. It sounded like his, but it was monotone. "You are stuck here." Ash turned around and attempted to kick his look-a-like, but the clone grabbed his foot and squeezed it. The Pokémon trainer winced as he felt something snap. "It is odd," the clone began again. "My design is based off of you, but you are a weakling compared to me."

"I'm not weak," Ash tried to argue before the duplicates fist meet his jaw.

"Well, then," the clone corrected. "I'm still stronger than you."

Ash took this moment to get his foot loose and slide under the clone. He kicked the back of its head and jumped on it. Doing this, his used his good leg to boost himself up. He remembered to latch that was on the ceiling, but sadly he was unable to get high enough to reach it.

When he came back down he landed on his feet and dodged a blow from his enemy. He then returned the attack and kicked the clone in the face. This sent the clone flying back again.

"How do I get out of here?" Ash muttered to himself as he raced towards the clone's container. "There has to be a door or something around here!"

The black haired boy blinked once he saw a control panel. Not knowing what to do, he decided to press random buttons. Biting his lap, he looked up to see the clone moving towards him again.

'I have to figure this out,' he thought. He looked back at the control panel and saw a big red button under a glass lid. Not having anything to lose, his broke the glass as he slammed his fist on it. As he did this, he hit the button, the alarm went off, and the clone fell face-first on the ground. Ash blinked.

"Was it really that easy?" Ash whispered. His head turned to where heard a sliding sound. A hallway had opened on the opposite side from where he had come in. He glared in its direction and straightened up before muttering,

"Yep, this is DEFINITELY a trap."

"Where do you suppose Iris and Cilan are?" Alexis asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care."

"What?!"

"If they get involved, there's a 4 out of 5 chance that they will get hurt, and I don't touch those odds."

"But if they are still trying to fight the swarm-,"

"Ash wouldn't have left them to do that," Blake corrected the girl. "He must have hidden them somewhere."

"And if he didn't?"

"Then they are fighting with their Pokémon and they are going to be ok."

Alexis looked at Blake like he was crazy. "You have too much faith in people."

"And you, my darling, don't have nearly enough."

Annime: I'm SO SORRY! You don't know how frustrating this was! I'm not sure how many times this got deleted!

Ash: Please review!


	15. It Was Over

Annime: I don't want to write this anymore, but I will try my hardest to finish.

_**Chapter 14**_

Blake and Alexis were closing in to the Team Rocket base. Blake's nerves were taking a beating as his grip on the wheel tightened.

Blake's job as a spy had sent him many different places, put him in many dangerous situations, and changed his life so many times. But nothing he's ever done made him as terrified as the difficulties he's had to help Ash and Chris get out of. He could promise you that they were literally magnets for these situations. It was always them who got into trouble. Always-

Blake screamed as the car hit something suddenly and flipped. Alexis cried out as well and did so a second time after the car had landed back on its wheels. The boy in the driver's seat stared out in front of him. He felt as though he had had a panic attack. The girl beside him was shaking uncontrollably.

"Sorry about that," a male voice said from the driver's side window. Blake jumped and spun his head around to see Chris giving him a sly smile. His voice had been a little muffled because he had to yell it through the closed window.

"What…YOU MADE US FLIP OVER?!" shouted Blake as he opened the door to tackle Chris. The black haired boy, though, jumped out of the way in time before jumping onto Blake's vehicle.

"I didn't mean to make you flip over," Chris corrected. "I meant to make you stop. It's not my fault that you were going too fast."

"Well I had to be; Ash is in trouble!"

"And that's why we're here."

"'We?' Who else is here?"

"Just Nic, Leon, and me."

"Where are they then?"

"I'm over here!" someone yelled from above them. It was Nic, riding his hover disc. He slowly made it land on the ground beside Blake's vehicle.

"Where's Leon?" Blake questioned.

Chris smirked. "He's already helping Ash. Now, let's go find Ash's friends before they're found and hurt."

Ash ran through the entrance of the passageway that was just opened for him. He was expecting an explosion, maybe another clone, maybe even an army, but that's not what he found.

"Hey," Leon said, sitting on a giant machine. Ash blinked before his face broke out into a great smile.

"Dude, am I glad to see you or what?" Ash proclaimed as he walked over to his friend.

"I'm glad to see you too, but we can't celebrate for very long. There are robot guards coming and we need to get rid of this machine."

"Why?" Ash asked as Leon jumped off the questioned device.

"Because it powers this entire place," Leon answered. "It powers the clone machine, the robot guards- everything."

"Why didn't you-?"

"Water can't do a thing to it," Leon interrupted with a grin. "But fire can."

Before Ash could reply, a mob of giant robots crashed into the room. The sound made Ash jump and cover his ears.

"Take care of the machine!" Leon commanded as he went to fight off the robots. Ash did as he was told by trying to melt the metal.

Chris jumped into the driver's seat, forcing Blake and Nic into the back seat. Blake wasn't complaining though; he was too shaken for arguing. Chris turned the vehicle back on and turned it around. He then proceeded to speed towards where Cilan and Iris were supposed to be hiding. He was going even faster than Blake had been, and Alexis was holding onto her seat.

Ash hissed as he hit the metal of the machine repeatedly. It wasn't melting. Why wasn't it melting? The type of metal didn't look like anything that couldn't be melted. Ash growled as he finally grew angry enough to make a fire ball as big as his head and slam it into the machine as hard as he could. A smile crossed the boy's face when he saw a large dent made from his fire ball. He knew how he was going to do this.

Iris screamed as a tree near here exploded. The machine they had been fighting hadn't forgotten about them. Luckily they weren't smart enough to find her and Cilan yet, but they were trying pretty hard.

Iris screamed again when a large object jumped at her. Shaking violently, she backed up farther into the tree she had been hiding behind. Looking closer at the object, it looked like a familiar vehicle. The girl was too freaked out to notice why it was familiar. Instead, her eyes began to blur with tears.

That's when a door opened and Blake rushed out with Alexis and two other boys she had never seen before. She turned her head towards Cilan when she heard him let out a sigh of relief.

"It looks like you could use some help," the black haired boy said as he lent out his hand to help her. Iris took it gladly, feeling like she was going to start crying all over again.

Ash created an even bigger fire ball and rammed it into the computer-like mechanism where his previous dent was located. It didn't do a lot of damage from what was done before, so he decided to make his attack larger. He didn't get a chance though, because he was attacked from behind.

The robot that attacked him took him by his arm and flung him to the other side of the room. Ash yelped as he smashed against the wall and slid to the floor. He looked up to find Leon handling the rest of the robots, so Ash was left with the one that had thrown him. The black haired boy stood up and lunged for the robot. The robot tried to dodge, but Ash was faster as he took the robot's hand and flipped it into the computer.

The impact of the robot did ten times the amount of damage Ash's fire had inflicted. Ash continued to smash the computer until both the computer and the robot were destroyed.

Ash let out a shaky breath once the computer's lights turned off and the machine looked like it was completely shut down. He then turned to Leon to find him sitting on the floor exhausted.

"It's over," Leon said. "It's over."

Ash took a deep breath before adding, "For now…anyway."

Chris shouted in surprise as the robot he had been fighting suddenly dropped and almost smashed into his head. He repeated this act several times before every robot in sight was lying on the ground cold and unmoving. Chris turned to Nic who was looking around frantically for Iris, Cilan, Alexis, and Blake. The four were safe, but just as freaked out as everyone else.

It was over.

Annime: I hope it wasn't too quick of an ending. I plan an epilogue though.

Ash: PLEASE REVIEW!


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